Between Heaven and Hell
by orlha
Summary: Everyone returns to their respective worlds but Akane is missing, each thinking that she is in the other world. Meanwhile Akane is in grave danger, will they manage to find her in time? Who and for what purpose has taken her? [Akane x Tomomasa]


**Walking between heaven hell**

_/"Tenma-kun!"/_

He jolted up from his desk and looked around. It was all silence in the exam hall, no one seemed to have called him. Puzzled, he rubbed his eyes glancing at the clock.

"I shall collect the papers now," the teacher said slowly walking down the aisle collecting.

He yawned, glad that the exams were finally over and the summer had finally begun. It had been almost four months since they found themselves back in modern Japan. Akane had not been with them. He panicked at first, but after Shimon had rationally said that Akane had most likely stayed back in Kyou for she seemed to have had some feelings for one of the other Hachiyou. He had always believed that Akane would come back to modern Japan with him. Seems like he was wrong, sometimes he still dreamt of Akane talking to him in his dreams, but he seldom remember what exactly they spoke on.

"Tenma-Senpai!"

He turned around to see the blonde mess of hair push through the crowd of students leaving their classrooms.

"Tenma-Senpai! How was your exam?"

"It was ok, I didn't have much heart in studying for the last one."

"Oh…"

An awkward silence fell between them, both of them had a lot of things to say but were unsure of how to start.

"How is Ran-san?"

"She's in your class, why are you asking me?" Tenma asked irritably. Although Ran had been missing for 4 years, she had managed to almost catch up with her studies. Tenma was proud of her for doing so.

"I wonder who she stayed behind for –"

"Well I'm going to the Dojo now," Tenma said, turning away immediately.

"Ah! Sorry Tenma-Senpai!" Shimon yelled. Tenma waved without turning back, indicating he had heard him.

----

"Miko?" Yasuaki asked, spotting a person in fields faraway. He walked forward unhurriedly, gradually seeing the bob of pink hair come into view.

"Yasuaki-san?" he heard her say. He leaned forward to grab her from fading away but it was too late. He woke up with a start. Feeling disorientated, he walked towards the baths. There had been no element of malicious intent during his dreams, yet he felt something was wrong. Perhaps he should talk to one of the Hachiyou about it, he wondered, unconsciously bringing his hand up to the white pearl below his right eye. Strangely, the white pearl was still resided there despite the fact that it should have disappeared after Akane had left.

----

"Ah what a beautiful moon," Tomomasa exclaimed, lifting his cup of sake to the moon. "What a fine night to drink."

"Indeed," Takamichi agreed, pouring another cup of sake. Beside them lay a number of empty sake bottles.

"I wonder how Miko-dono is now," Tomomasa said.

"She must be happy back to the world she came from. It feels sort of empty without her, doesn't it?" Takamichi asked turning to look at Tomomasa. The clink of the sake cup onto the wood replied his question. "Tomomasa?"

"Miko-dono?" Tomomasa said, rising from his seat.

"Eh?" Takamichi looked at the direction Tomomasa had been staring at. "Miko-dono?"

The girl turned around. "Tomomasa-san? Takamichi-san? What are you doing here?" her green eyes widening at the sight of them.

"We should be asking you that," Tomomasa said, brushing his hair behind his shoulders the way he always does.

"I don't know what I am doing here, but - " she bit her lip looking worried. She looked around with a frightened look.

"Miko-dono?" Takamichi asked. "What's wrong?"

She hesitated before taking a few steps towards them. "I don't know," she said, looking like she was going to cry.

"Why don't you sit with us, Miko-dono?" Tomomasa said, petting the wood beside him.

"Tomomasa!" Takamichi said, "Don't you see –" He barely finished his sentence when Akane screamed, flinging her hands instinctively to protect her head. With that she disappeared without a trace.

"Miko-dono!" They cried out, stunned. Tomomasa had leapt across to where Akane had been standing and for that very moment, the pearls for each Hachiyou burned brightly as it had went Akane had used her powers a lot. Yorihisa ran towards them looking alert.

"What happened?" he asked. "I felt her call very strongly." Yasuaki appeared behind him.

"I felt Miko-dono's presence here," Yasuaki passively looked at them waiting for an answer.

"We were drinking when suddenly Tomomasa saw Miko-dono and called her, that was then I noticed her. She looked surprised to see us and seemed as though she was frightened of something. She didn't tell us what she was afraid of," Takamichi explained.

"But she didn't seem to know either," Tomomasa said, his eyes unfocused, his face had fallen, his fists clenched tightly.

"She did not know," Yasuaki repeated frowning.

"Suddenly she screamed and disappeared," Takamichi continuing.

"Her feet –" Tomomasa said. "Takamichi, did you notice that her feet didn't make a single sound? It didn't even brush the grass."

Takamichi looked at him. 'A spiritual projection?' Yasuaki wondered.

Meanwhile, Inori having woken up by Akane's sudden call restlessly paced outside the house waiting for the sun to rise so he could ride to Tomomasa's place to query.

----

"Oei! Tenma-Senpai!" Shimon called out. He ran towards them as they walked towards school.

"Shimon," Tenma started. "Did you –"

"I was going to ask you that," Shimon said. "I also had been having dreams of Akane recently."

Tenma looked at him shocked. "I had too, but I can't remember what they were about."

"We have to go back."

"How?"

"I can try bringing you back," Ran suggested. "Don't I have powers too?"

"But that's dangerous!" Tenma said.

"But that's the only chance we have," Ran said. Tenma clenched his fist wordlessly knowing she was right. They stopped in front of the well where Akane had first heard someone calling her. Ran placed her hands in front of the well, closing her eyes trying to summon every power she knew she had. Unlike Akane who had consciously used her powers, Ran had often been possessed and unaware of what she had been doing with her powers. Her hands began to glow black.

All of a sudden, all the birds fell silent; nothing except the sound of the wind howling through the trees was heard. Tenma grabbed his sister and Shimon, determined to stay together when they arrived in the other world. However the wind seemed to have a different desire and as they clung on more to each other, the wind howled even angrier pulling them further and further away until they could hold on no more.

"Elder Brother!" Ran yelled as she flung her hand towards his direction knowing it was hopeless.

"RAN!" Tenma yelled, mirroring her actions.

----

Akane groaned trying to sit up. How long had it been since she had seen the colour of azure sky, she wondered. She tried to recall how she had ended up here.

Flash Back

"_Miko, What is your wish?"_

"_I want to go home – to the world with the people I care about. And to be with them always – "_

"_Your wish, I shall grant –"_

_She looked up and found herself falling endlessly. A pair of amused emerald eyes meets hers, his hand reaching out to hers pulling her closer to him. She feels so comfortable in his embrace, yet somehow, it felt wrong but after longing it for a while, she bit her lip deciding to ignore her gut feelings. _

End of Flash Back

The chains clinked as she moved; it didn't leave her much space to move about. It had been weeks maybe months since she had eaten anything she thought idly to herself though strangely she was not hungry. /_Its all your fault,_ / she scolded herself.

/_You should have listened to your gut feeling! It must have been the White Dragon telling you that it was wrong!_ / She sighed, placing a hand on her small cage. The cage wasn't very big, nor did it seem very sturdy. It had just enough room for her to almost stretch her legs.

/_How did I manage to talk to Tomomasa and Takamichi?_ / She wondered, trying to remember how it had been. After all, being locked up here for ages, she had tried almost every single method and power that she had to break out.

"HEY YOU! WAKE UP!" she recoiled to a corner as the tiger mashed its huge paw heavily against her cage. The cage shook, swaying side to side before falling onto its side. Akane rubbed her head where it had hit the thick bamboo bars.

"Stop playing with her and bring her here," the black fox behind snarled. "You don't want Nekomata to come after your hide."

The tiger frowned irritability at the black fox. "One of these days, I'll bite your head off, Kitsune," he scowled at fox. Angrily, it swiped its long claws at Akane's chains drawing her as he walked along.

Akane winced, feeling her wounds open up again, the feeling of dread growing stronger as they approached the end of the hallway. Blood sloshed the room at the end of the hallway. For her it'd not be the fear of bleeding but another more acute fear. Her sleeves were already in shreds from the many times they had sliced up her arm. She involuntarily trembled at the sight of the white cat waiting for her. The tiger lay her onto the tiled platform, pulling her right arm out.

"Soon, Nekomata, we'll be strong enough. Strong enough to oppose them –" she heard Kitsune say, her vision blurred as more of her blood dripped down her arm. The rough, wet tongue licking her arm was all too familiar to her as she black out again.

/Tomomasa - / she dimly called out in her mind.

----

Ran blinked, sitting up immediately. She was sitting beside a small crackling fire. "Ah you're finally awake," the lady said smiling. In her arms she cradled a beautiful baby. "Shimon-Dono has been waiting for you. He's outside at the moment."

"Ran!" Shimon said as he spotted her coming from the house. "Ikutidaru-san has been out looking for Tenma, we should go ahead to Tomomasa's place first." Ran nodded. Although she had lived here for four years odd, she had been possessed half the time and was not conscious of where she walked. She permitted to Shimon to lead the way. As they walked through the gates, they saw two samurais alert approaching them.

"We are looking for Fujihime-san."

"We cannot let such suspicious characters in." They gave Ran and Shimon an once-over. "Moreover a Demon."

"I'm not a Demon!" Shimon indignantly replied. They were still wearing their green school uniform and it was understandable that they, the guards, found them suspicious, however there was no time for it now. Ran and Shimon exchanged glances wondering what to do to be able to enter.

"Ran –" Shimon tapped Ran, tugging her to follow him.

"Shimon -? Wah? What are you doing?" she protested, trying to fight him. He placed his finger on his lip as they quietly circled the compound just out of sight of the guards.

"There's no way they'll let us in –" he started and pointed to the tree behind the tall wall. "I'll lift you up, and you'll go over and get Fujihime-san or whoever you can recognize."

"What about you?" she whispered furiously to him. "I can't leave you alone can I? Especially we don't know if they're still hostile to demons!"

"I'll be fine, now hurry," he firmly said. He pushed her up, blushing slightly as he felt her warm body.

"I'll be back real quick," she said, sliding down the tree. /_How big can the place be anyway?_ / she thought. She treaded the gardens stealthily, hoping for an insane luck that she might bump into someone she knew. She slipped under the shadow of the tree as the maids walked past chattering animatedly to themselves and as she crept out, she heard the sounds of the last thing she had wanted to here.

"HEY YOU THERE! STOP!"

She cringed; breaking into a run, praying it was not her that they were shouting to. She heard their pattering footsteps right behind her knowing it was the end. Her breaths came out ragged as she pushed herself to run faster than she ever could. She had never been athletically acclaimed nor had she ever broke any school records and now was a good time to. /Must find Fujihime-san as soon as possible / she panted, trying to keep focus of her goal. Between all the worries she had, she worried the most about Shimon. After all, Tenma had joked a number of times how Shimon had often been thrown rocks at. Then, she felt it. The pull on the back of her coat, the jerk, the warmth of their breaths on back and the feeling of her arms being pulled back.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed, kicking directionlessly. "LET ME GO!" One of her feet managed to connect with the man's shin, making him loose grip as he howled in pain. However the other guard grip was firm to the point it felt like it was bruising her skin.

"BRAT!" he yelled, clutching his shin. "Look who the other guard caught –" he sneered. Shimon trying to break free as another two guards dragged him in.

"What is all that noise for?" a man asked, as he walked towards them, his sword making a quiet clinking sound as he moved. "Ran?" he said, half stunned. "Let them go," he ordered.

"But –" he shot them an angry look. The guards though unhappily, acceded. Ran rubbed her wrists while giving them the evil eye and stuck her tongue out at them. They growled clenching the hilt of their swords.

"Ran – " the blue haired guy started.

"Yorihisa-san!" Shimon called out, interrupting him. "We came with Tenma too –"

"I know. He is with us. Follow me," he said, turning around and walking off. "They've arrived," he said as he pushed open the sliding door.

"Ran! Are you okay?" Tenma grabbed her shoulders as though trying to check if she was okay.

"Back to what I was saying," Takamichi said. "We can say that everyone here had had dreams of Miko-Dono recently. Yet neither of us can remember the dreams clearly." Tomomasa's attention drifted out to the pine trees outside the window. "She had not been back in Tenma's world nor here, but we had not dreamt of her until recently."

"I did not feel any malicious intent in the dreams. It could have been Miko-Dono herself," Yasuaki said.

"Maybe Akane-chan was trying to tell us something," Shimon suggested after hearing what had happened the night before.

"But it does not make sense. Surely Yasuaki-dono would have been able to sense her if she had been somewhere in this world," Eisen said. "Then where had she been all these months?" He gripped his flute, looking silently at it. Without any answer an awkward silence fell among them. Inori stood up pacing back and forth. "There was that time where Ran-Dono was kept in some different dimension, perhaps that is where Miko-dono is," Fujihime suggested.

"Or other worlds," Tenma added.

"There is Hell and other possible worlds like Tenma-Dono's," he replied. "It is also possible that she might be in some other dimension. But I do not think we should attempt to transverse the other worlds without knowing which Miko-dono has gone to."

"As much as I would like to come to a conclusion as soon as possible, I think we should all rest. Already its late at night," Takamichi said. "We can continue this tomorrow." They nodded miserably, going to the rooms that Fujihime's servants had prepared for them.

Tomomasa sat by the door facing the moonlit pond, drinking Sake again deep in thought. "Tomomasa-san –" a female voice called down the hallway. He turned, his cup falling onto the floor in surprise.

"Miko –" he stood up, walking towards her. "Miko – Where have you been?" he reached out to grab her hand but his hand slipped through hers. "Where are you Miko?"

She shook her head and gave a weak smile. "Tomomasa-san –" the image of her faded slightly and re-appeared.

"Help – Tomomasa – I – at –" her sentence distorted as she faded. He could see her tears slipping down her cheek.

"Hell –"

He leaned against the wall trying to pull himself together. It was strange for a womanizer as him to feel so strong about a girl. He had to suppress the urge to slam his fist repeatedly against the floor, angry at himself for not being able to do anything.

_/It's not a time to think of my feelings for Miko,/_ he told himself as he hurried to get Yasuaki. "Yasuaki –" he said as he slide open the door and stopped meeting Yasuaki face to face. Yasuaki had been just about to open the door.

"I have just figured where she is now," Yasuaki said, his normal passive face now filled with determination. Tomomasa smiled watching Yasuaki obsessive determination. Another competitor he thought to himself then reprimanding himself for thinking of such stuff at such a crucial time.

----

"Miko-dono has been walking along the borders of hell and life. For she is neither dead nor living, she is unable to return to Kyou," Yasuaki explained. "For this reason, she cannot fully manifest herself for long periods of time in either world. She has lost her body. A spirit who lost their body will slowly weaken before being claimed back by the gods."

"Then we must find her body right?" Tenma interrupted.

"But her body is not here is that right?" Takamichi asked

"I believe because of her powers, certain spirits or demons have been trying to keep her," Yasuaki said.

"Then We should be questioning who and where," Takamichi said.

"Hell –" Tomomasa abruptly replied.

"Huh?" They turned around and stared at him. Tomomasa with unfocused his green eyes looked out at the pond again, thinking of the crying image of Akane.

"She said Hell," he said off-handedly. "She came to me again just now –" he explained.

"Then Hell we must go," Inori said, standing up. "Yasuaki can take us to Hell right?"

Yasuaki stared unflinching at Inori's angry eyes. "I'm afraid I cannot. However –"

"NO!" Tenma interrupted. "I will not let Ran use her powers. I don't want her to end up like the last time!"

"Don't be stupid, Brother. The power is mine to use whether you like it or not."

"You don't have to do this Ran," Tenma said shaking her.

"I will because I'm tired of being overprotected of you and because I want to help Akane-chan."

"A flower blooming so beautifully in the wild withers under the intensive care of a gardener," Tomomasa said placing his hand on Tenma's shoulder with a small smile. Tenma frowned irately knowing he had no choice but to accept it no matter how unwilling he was.

"We will first need to create a gateway and make sure no one walks through it," Yasuaki said standing up. Tomomasa pointed to the room behind his room.

"That door should do well, no?" Tomomasa asked. Without knowing what to expect, they donned some weapons and readied themselves in front of the door.

Ran stretched her hands in front of herself towards the closed door. The door glowed black like the glow of her hands emitting.

"Hurry!" she muttered through gritted teeth. They slid the door open, the floor pass it had changed.

"I'll stay here and make sure that no one gets through," Eisen told them. "I'll play to harmonize and strengthen Ran-dono's spell. He looked dejectedly at the floor. "After all I've never been good at combat." They mutely nodded, their faces tense with anticipation.

"All yours, Eisen," Tenma said patting him on the shoulder.

Eisen blushed and said, "Please bring Miko-dono back." Tenma grinned and gave him a thumb's up as he walked through the slightly glowing door.


End file.
